Reservoir of strength

Here's one of the many gems that Proverbs has to offer for our lives,

Drink water from your own cistern,
And fresh water from your own well.

Though this is being used here in a different context, I got a feeling that it had more to say that just the message that it gave directly in the situation under discussion. As I meditated over it, I started seeing it in a new light which encouraged me and taught me something about our life in the Spirit and the importance of our relationship with God.
As we go on in our everyday lives, we need to remember that at all times, we need to have a cistern or a reservoir of resources ready for ourselves to draw from. The biggest reservoir for a believer is the Word of God. One needs to keep soaking oneself well in the Word, so that whenever needed, one can draw from it the precious drink of life that will cause him or her to go ahead in their walk with God with renewed and refreshed strength.
The second line talked to me loads about having a constantly active intimate relationship with God. Sometimes, in the midst of our zeal to achieve great feats for the Kingdom, we tend to forget the first, innocent and tender love with which we approached and adored the face of our Father. Now, that is something which should be remedied or rather avoided at all times. Our personal, intimate relationship with Christ is our well of fresh water. We might draw from him whenever we need to. We dont need other artificial solutions because we have the best resource with us.
Therefore, today as you go about your daily activities, dont forget to tell God how much you love and adore him.

The Church

I came across this sonnet by John Donne and loved the manner of his expression.

HOLY SONNET XVIII*

Show me, dear Christ, thy spouse so bright and clear.
What! is it she which on the other shore
Goes richly painted? or which, robbed and tore,
Laments and mourns in Germany and here?
Sleeps she a thousand, then peeps up one year?
Is she self-truth, and errs? now new, now outwore?
Doth she, and did she, and shall she evermore
On one, on seven, or on no hill appear?
Dwells she with us, or like adventuring knights
First travel we to seek, and then make love?
Betray, kind husband, thy spouse to our sights,
And let mine amorous soul court thy mild dove,
Who is most true and pleasing to thee then
When she is embraced and open to most men.

tell me what do you think??

*taken from http://www.luminarium.org/sevenlit/donne/holysonnet18.php

Welcome students of GCMT!

This post is specially for my GCMT students. Its a great landmark in these ten months that you are now accessing the internet and are able to find your way through it.
Blogging is a very interesting way of journaling our opinion and beliefs in a public space as well as getting a group discussion going. If you love doing this stuff, it can be a very effective medium.
Cheers to Justin sir for having brought you this far and I am sure this is just the beginning and the best is yet to come...

ps. i will try and post regularly from now on!

Its raining again!

It had been really hot for a few days now and today, somehow, the Ahmedabad skies decided it was enough and gave the Amdavadis a respite by giving us a day of RAIN...
The first day of college is long gone, its down to everyday business now.
Lately, I have been reading Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman and I came across this piece that I absolutely loved.

TO YOU
STRANGER, if you passing meet me and desire to speak to me, why should you not speak to me?And why should I not speak to you?

So tell me what do you think about it?

First class

It felt like old times again [ofcourse it seems like ages ago when I used rush to college everday]. I was trying not to be late and literally ran from the parking in our college up to the assembly hall which is on the third floor [quite a sight but couldnt help it!].
After the usual introductions and the welcome address, we were directed to our classes. I had assumed there would be no lectures today so had conveniently not taken anytime but a tiny diary to take down the timetable. But lo behold..we were told our lectures would begin that very day.
Thus began my first class of MA. It was really great. I enjoyed it a lot. The paper is on the Renaissance Age and the texts during that period. Our professor began by giving an introductory lecture on the various perspectives to this crucial event in history. I should say not having prepared for the lecture beforehand I felt a little bit shaky at the wide ranges of time and events that he was spanning but it sure did whet my apetite for the lecture.
So here goes..bring it on...I am ready for an exciting journey through the study of English literature once again.

The God who is there..where?

No, the title of my post is not some ingenuous creation of my mind but is the title of an article by John Fischer. I was browsing through a few blogs and websites lately and I came across this article comparing Francis Schaeffer's The God Who is There and Bill Hybels' The God You're Looking For.

I recommend you go through it and ponder over the questions and crucial issues that Fischer raises in it. You can read the article by going to

http://www.rationalpi.com/theshelter/tgwiw.html

Feel free to voice your thoughts through your comments.

You doing business in the deep??

He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions.

Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness, And for His wonders to the sons of men! Let them also offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, And tell of His works with joyful singing. Those who go down to the sea in ships, Who do business on great waters; They have seen the works of the LORD, And His wonders in the deep. For He spoke and raised up a stormy wind, Which lifted up the waves of the sea. They rose up to the heavens, they went down to the depths; Their soul melted away in their misery. They reeled and staggered like a drunken man, And were at their wits' end. Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, And He brought them out of their distresses. He caused the storm to be still, So that the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad because they were quiet, So He guided them to their desired haven. Psalm 107:20-30

God has spoken to me very strongly through this passage of Scripture lately. When on the beach, one can sit back and enjoy the scenery and do nothing. And it will be fine but one will be simply sitting back and will gain nothing more than some aesthetic pleasure. It is the one who dares to go on a ship, in the midst of the sea and go scuba diving [i am not sure i am using the term right but well u get it dont u what i mean] gets the real taste of the beauty of the sea and all that it holds within it.

In the same way, we can sit back and enjoy the pleasures of the Kingdom of God but if you desire the pearls of the deep, you have to do business in the deep. It is only in the deep that we can experience the wonders of God. It is when we experience His awesome refreshing and invigorating presence in the midst of the rising up to the heavens and going down to the depths, that we really know the wonder of who our King is and what he has in store for us. If we really want to see the restoration of things in our time, we gotta go down to the sea and do business in the deep.

It might be a little bit shaky and out of our comfort zone but just think about the time when He calms the waves, when he ultimately guides us to our desired haven.

Oh what a wonder that our business is in the Kingdom of God!

So buckle up and enjoy the race while you run it with patience and perseverance...do let me know how it goes with you, I would be very interested to know all about it.

Dont lose focus

Lately God has been leading me to read 1 Samuel and as I have been going through the familiar lives of Saul and David, today, God taught me one more thing which is also something all of us know for sure but sometimes just seem to forget.

Though Saul was out hunting for David, David never lost focus of the fact that God had called and appointed him and he was not there to fight for power or position. Rather than fighting with Saul, he focused on fighting the enemies. He knew what he was against, he didnt have his enemies confused. Sometimes, I have experienced that I seem to lose focus of who I am up against and that creates a lot of confusion causing me stagnate. But more importantly at such times I also lose focus of the one purpose and person to whom I have been predestined and called but thank God that he continually exhorts us to fix our eyes on the author and perfecter of our faith. And once our focus is right everything starts to fall into the right place.

So thats it for today....dont lose your focus

Normal life about to begin

I am officially a student at St. Xaviers College Ahmedabad now and my MA lectures will begin from the 28th of this month. The Bible College at Nadiad has already begun and my lectures will start after two or three weeks. So, it will be cool to be a teacher and a student together.
So, the usual life is about to begin. God has been speaking very strongly to me from Psalm 107. Do read it especially if you feel a little bit shaken and tossed around in your life. It will strengthen you and cause you to go for the purposes of God with much a renewed passion.

Wedding done with..

So the wedding's done with now. My sister's off to start a completely new phase of her life and we have been left behind once again with this weird feeling of complete blankness which usually occurs when one has focussed all attention on the accomplishment of a goal and then as soon as one accomplishes it,it is like, now what?
But well...no now what for me because I have loads of stuff to do. I have decided that it is time I finish my Masters degree so I will stay in Ahmedabad now and complete it. I will continue my work in Nadiad so it will be a little bit of a rush though I am sure its going to be exciting.
Lately, I have started taking lessons in the keyboard and have learnt from the beginning itself how important regular disciplined practice is. For all of you who know me well, I'd rather sit six hours together and complete an assignment than sitting for an hour for six days. Same has been the case with spending time in prayer and waiting on God but I know very well their importance in Kingdom life and I think its time to gird myself up and get back on track.
Do pray for me for the same.

Quick update

My elder sister [ I have three elder sisters, this is the second one] is getting married tomorrow, part of the reason you havent seen hardly any posts lately. But I got some time out to post this quick one for all of you.

Do pray for the wedding that everything goes smoothly and all of us have a great time. Every wedding brings the Ultimate Wedding to our mind of how one day our Ultimate Mr. Right is going to come for His beautiful triumphant bride in all splendid glory. What an amazing day that is going to be!!

As he grew...

Thus Samuel grew and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fail. 1 Sam 3:19

This verse encouraged me greatly this week. I have been reading about Samuel's life and how he spent most of his time in the Temple in the presence of God. He was passionately doing what he had been born to do even though he didnt know all about God's plan for his life. Infact he wasnt even aware of how God's voice would sound like [sounds like many of us who have doubts about hearing from God] but because he had a genuine heart attitude God spoke to him and created the provision that he needed, to go ahead in the destiny God had in store for him.
The amazing thing that the 19th verse states is that God didnt let any of his words fail. He wasnt perfect, but he was growing and God didnt shame him ever, infact He took care that none of his words failed. Thats our Father who is interested in every detail and phase of our life.

Shall I not...

Shall I bring to the time of birth, and not cause delivery? says the Lord. Shall I who cause delivery shut up the womb? says your God. Isaiah 66:9

God upholds everything that is and that happens on the earth. Ecc 3:1 states thats everything has a season. God is the God of fruitfulness therefore, he will cause fruits to be manifest through your life, the key is to reach or be in the time of fruitfulness.

External circumstances, least of all, never deter or distract us from the King's highway that we have chosen and yet, again Jesus said that You have not chosen me but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain.. We have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit therefore, nothing should make us believe the lie that we cant or are unable to bear fruit, yes, we might not have seen it visibly but what is important is that we run the race with perseverance and in due time, we will see it manifest in our lives and our surroundings.

Cutest dog ever...

I am back again...i know i have used this title too many times

I had promised all of you a steady flow of regular posts once I get back to Ahmedabad and now that I have, I thought I would begin right now.

Its 2 am right now and I am supposed to be asleep but didnt want to for no reason so here I am. God spoke to me about fruitfulness through Isa 66:9 lately and do wait patiently for a little while and I will have a cool post ready for you.

As regards updates, as I said I am back in Ahmedabad. The academic year of the Bible college is over so I am done with my first batch of students. Cant believe its all over.

I am in Ahmedabad also to be a better support to the Church over here as we are focusing of the same this year especially. We have had to move from our previous meeting place already because of lack of space. God is moving and we're preparing to harness the move of His Spirit. Do pray for me that I prove to be a sharp weapon in my King's hands. It's time to move again and I am feeling the same butterflies in my stomach that such times of transition bring but cant wait for the whole picture to get crystal clear.

So be good and patient and there's really cool post on its way for you shortly...

Almost an year now...

Yup...never had imagined that this year would rush past so quickly. It feels like I just said goodbye to all my dear friends in Cardiff and left for India and now here I am, the academic year of the Bible College due to get done with in two weeks.

Its graduation time for the students here and I have no idea how one whole year has gone by...

God has been with me through all of this time and has ministered to my very being through every moment of it. There were many lessons to be learnt and sometimes it became a li'l bit hard but I was all the better to have gone through those times.

I am going to spend the next two months with my family and the church family in Ahmedabad. I am hoping to be of support to the covenant family here as they go ahead in the vision of 200 people by the end of this year. Chandrakant has taken up the leadership of the fellowship over here since last November and we trust God is going to build a strong testimony of His kingdom through us.

I hope to relax a bit and brush up some old skills so I become sharper in my gifts. And yes, you will find much more frequent posts once I get back home.

Do pray for me. I need that more than anything.

A lot to munch on for a week or two...encouraged me loads

Here are a few good quotes from an article I read...

Moving to a Mindset of Faith by Joel Holm, Running with Fire, Issue two.
- A mindset of faith moves us to focus not just on our commitment to His cause but more on His promise to us. – Joel Holm

- Each individual faced great trials and adversity in their mission. Each believer made great sacrifices. Yet it was God’s promise, not so much their commitment, that caused them to persevere. It was what God had told them He was going to do through their faithfulness that kept them faithful. A mindset of sacrifice forces us to rely on our own ability and commitment to see God’s mission through to the end. A Divine promise from God doesn’t eliminate any of the challenges, but it does enable us to serve by faith.

- Transitioning from a mindset of sacrifice to a mindset of faith moves believers to a place where, like the Chinese pastor, they can truly know they “belong to God”.

- Mission doesn’t begin with sacrifice. It begins with God and a passionate faith that He has a plan to use each of us to impact the lives of people for eternity.

- Moving from a mindset of sacrifice to a mindset of faith means replacing our effort with His intimacy.

- With a mindset of faith, we focus on His intimacy and grace in our life, His gifting and His power, His work to be done. And in doing so we will celebrate all that He does through us.

100 posts!!

So....i last posted on 2nd Feb and so have by now have a 100 posts!!

so for the 101st,

We are holy in Christ....thts what i read in Andrew Murray's devotional book on Holiness.
Simple....dont work towards being holy...work towards being more in Christ and you have found the answer to all your doubts.

in Christ...thats the key for a believer...more of Him and less of me. What a wonderful God and what a wonderful Kingdom

Hi again!!

Yes I am back again. I know these infrequent posts are not really the ideal condition I had envisioned but, please, my dear readers do hold on in faith and one day you will encounter regular posts on this blog.
Alrite, quick update, we just went on a picnic yesterday. It was great fun, just that I am really really tired right now and it seems as if every part of my body is aching [it was a cool spot by a huge river, Narmada and then a fun park]. Well...anyway, it was wonderful. The best part of the day was when I was on one of the roller coaster rides, suddenly, I didnt have any fear within me, but what happened instead was this really cool feeling within myself of how God had me on one of these in my life right now as he is preparing and training me in His Kingdom. That is indeed, much more exciting and worth being on than any roller coaster in the world.
Will leave you guys with a quote from Tommy Tenney's God Chasers which I am reading currently

God is just waiting to be caught by someone whose hunger exceeds his grasp.

I will strengthen you...

I am the Lord, and there is
no other;
apart from me there is no
God.
I will strengthen you,
though you have not
acknowledged me.
Isaiah 45:5

I was browsing through Isaiah today and this verse captured me. What an amazing God who say that he will strengthen his people even though they haven’t acknowledged him!

So yeah i am alive and here's something to munch on...

Someone has said that when God wants to do something especially difficult, He starts with a baby. When Israel needed a leader, Moses was born. When God needed a forerunner for His Son, John the Baptist was born. And, greatest of all, when the world needed a Saviour, Jesus was born.
- Joyce Wells Booze, Heroes of the Faith [from the life of Anna Tomaseck]

IF I SHOULD QUIT

If I should quit before my work is done,
The work commissioned by God’s only son,
How could I stand before Him on that day?
How could I face Him, and what would I say?

If I should quit- just drop out of the race,
I wonder if someone would take my place?
And would I cause a Christian friend to fall,
Or some unsaved one to reject God’s call?

If I should quit, how could I face myself?
And lay so many Scriptures on the shelf?
A quitter or a conqueror I can be,
And God has left the choosing up to me!

- Dolores Smeeton

Taken from Heroes of the Faith; Assemblies of God, Division of Foreign Missions, Springfield, 1990.

I am back...in Nadiad

After spending two great weeks with my family, I am now back in Nadiad. Coming back was a very interesting experience because this was the first time I was ‘coming back’ to Nadiad after a holiday. My heart had this feeling of exhilaration as I went to the girls hostel and unlocked my room, as I met my brothers and sisters there and now, as I am sitting in my office, the first time in the new year for me, I am completely at peace and in fact overflowing with joy that I am in the purpose of God.
God has called me to this place, to this wonderful group of covenant brothers and sisters with whom I am determined to proclaim the gospel of the Kingdom and see it come in the fullness that only the Spirit of God can cause.

Patch

With passion, anything is possible.

This is a simple quote from 'Patch's Prescription' on Dr. Patch Adams' website [yeah...the real one that Robin Williams plays in the movie]. I believe what he says is true. His passion has led him to wait for his dream of a model hospital to be built for 33 years without any regret. I think our passion for the Kingdom of God can do something better, it can cause the coming of Christ to be much more closer and what better passion than one that brings us closer to Him!
If you want to look at the nine other pointers on Patch's prescription, just click on the link below,
http://www.patchadams.org/patch/prescription/ideas.html

A Divine Appointment...in store for me???

I have been on vacation for the last ten days and have spent a wonderful time with my family and friends. I had been putting off going back to my college for quite a while. I dont know if it was just pure procrastination or some kind of a fear lurking behind it but today I went anyway.
And guess what happened, I met up with one of my students whom I wouldnt have met otherwise at all and it proved to be a precious time. I was able to encourage and exhort him in the things of God and give him good suggestions as to how he could take decisions regarding his future especially in terms of doubts that he had regarding ministry in the Body of Christ.
It proved to be a great time and at the end of it all, I was glad that I took the decision to get over my emotions and go to college. It just occured to me how many such appointments I might have missed just out of pure whims but well...not now...I am determined not to miss another one any more.
I am sure its going to be the same for you.

Do I stand or do I still want someone's shoulder?

Today I learnt an old lesson again.
If I go on wanting to turn to someone for help and comfort every time anything gets out of sync in my life, oblivious of the person's intentions, it will leave me crippled for life.
I think at some point in life, a believer in Christ needs to stand up and be the strong man or woman of God that he or she is meant to be. Our brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ are definitely here to encourage and comfort us in our time of need but that doesnt mean they become our comfort zone or our convenient counsellors whom we live upon and many a times drain mentally rather than encouraging them in return.
Today, I was reminded I am a woman of God again...just as the angel addressed Gideon...God saw his potential not what physical eyes showed Him.
I urge all reading this post...Become who you are called to be. Dont shrink back from standing up and going through the fire and through the water because God has promised He will be with us and will guide through all trial in triumph. Let this new year be an year of faith, strength and triumph!!
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYBODY!!